Keeping in touch

Habitat Friends,

 

We are truly celebrating at the Affiliate - 3 homes completed and families moved or moving in -- all in the month of December.  Thanks to everyone - staff, volunteers, and supporters-- who made this possible and some dreams come true!

 

A special thanks to two "behind the scenes" people without whom we couldn't have completed our work:

1. to Charlie Hoffman, who did all 3 closings for us.  What a wonderful gift.  Charlie has done several other closings for us, but doing these 3 in one month was definitely beyond our expectations.
2. to John Gilliam, who did appraisals for all 3 homes as well.  John's support now and in the past is very special to us.

Thank you to both!!

 

The Construction team members are taking a well-deserved break between the holidays.  They will be back to work on Tuesday, January 5. 

The ReStore will be closed mid-afternoon on Thursday 12/24 until Tuesday, 12/29, and then again for New Year's Day, but will be open on Saturday, January 2.

The Office will be closed on Thursday 12/24 until Monday 12/28, and then also on January 1, reopening as usual on January 4.

 

Wishing all of you a blessed Christmas. 

 

Helen

Keeping in touch

Friends of Habitat,

 

We are entering a very special . . . and busy. . . time of the year, beginning with Thanksgiving.  I am truly thankful for the wonderful work that has been going on in our Habitat affiliate, and it's going to take more than a few lines to bring you up to date. 

 

Last time I wrote, I mentioned the exciting progress of the homes being built in Hope Estates outside Berea.  Both of these Habitat-built homes will be finished and occupied by Christmas.  In fact, the dedication for the Montgomery house is this coming Saturday, November 21 at 10:00.  Join us if you can for this wonderful celebration at 225 Arledge Court.

 

As if this weren't enough, the final house being built in Hope Estates, for the Cain family, will also be finished within a couple of weeks, through the generous work of folks from J.M.B.A.Inc. who are donating all the labor in memory of a relative. 

 

I also want to invite you to the Affiliate office to meet some wonderful and energetic new folks working for Habitat.  Elaine Hellard is a volunteer who comes in several mornings each week.  She helps answer the phones and is super efficient at doing any task we ask of her.  David Kamps is a new worker through the Urban League and he is taking on our aluminum can project.  David has already built and placed a new can house down by the river, in addition to doing regular pick ups at all our aluminum can collection sites.  Martha McCrary also comes to us through the Urban League and is in the office each afternoon, helping with the phones, with applicants, and with any other tasks we need.

 

Then come meet our dynamo--Carol Sisman.  Carol is a volunteer whose passion is creating events and happenings to make everyone in our service counties know about Habitat, our work, our mission, and our needs.  Look for our float in the Christmas parades in Richmond and Winchester.  For just $10.00, you can buy a "chance" on the unique and cute playhouse which will be featured on our float.  Check out the Bazaar at the ReStore on December 12, and look ahead to January when Carol plans to bring in an antique evaluator and looking even farther ahead, Carol is planning a fun event in the spring to celebrate the completion of Hope Estates and the play area there.

 

Yes, I am definitely thankful for the dedication and work of our long-time staff and the energy brought to our work by these new volunteers.

 

In partnership,

 

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison & Clark Counties

 

 

Hunting for a new truck

Friends,

 

This is not an update, but rather a request. 

 

The affiliate is in need of a new-to-us vehicle as two of ours are becoming unsafe and unreliable.  We are looking for a crew cab pick up truck in good shape to go for another 5 years or so.  We are planning to purchase, though of course we're looking for a good deal.

 

If any of you have such contacts, please let me know.

 

Thanks,

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison & Clark Counties.

Farewell and Good Luck to Wenda

Friends,

 

For those of you who want to have a chance to say "Good Luck" to Wenda, there will be a casual event at the affiliate office on Thursday, October 22 from 11:00 to 1:00.  Drop by for a visit.  We will have soup, bread, drinks and cake, so you won't miss your lunch hour!

 

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark County

Keeping in Touch

 

 

Habitat Friends

 

It has been such an exciting weekend for the Affiliate that I cannot wait to share with you.

 

SATURDAY was the beginning of the Woman Build in Berea.  Phenomenal work is being done on the Montgomery house in Berea.  In spite of a rainy, cold morning, our women workers got lots of work done inside and then later in the day as things improved, moved outside to work on siding.  Groups of women will continue to work throughout the week.

 

AT THE SAME TIME, a group of students from the Berea College chapter built a wooden deck for the back door entry.

 

AT THE SAME TIME, a dedicated group of students from the Clark County Area Technology Center erected a storage shed for the Montgomery family.  The walls for this had already been constructed at the school, under the leadership of teacher Jeff McKinney. 

 

AT THE SAME TIME, plans were to set the SIP panels for the Roberts house in place.  We had major problems with a piece of equipment rented to facilitate this.  Our dedicated volunteers (along with the guys from Clark County) and construction team decided to use lots of human power and muscle strength and put the walls in place.  (These are big—8 foot  by 24 foot panels!!).  By days end, the walls were up and inside framing had been started for the three bedrooms. 

 

I left the site at noon, thinking everything would need to stop until another piece of equipment could be rented on Monday.  I was certainly wrong; our dedicated volunteers just went ahead and did it.  Many wear T-shirts, which say "I helped Habitat Build It!"  It was certainly true on Saturday.

 

I left the site because another Habitat event was going on at the new Richmond Center--the first annual chili cook-off, sponsored by the Rotary Club.  Habitat will be the recipient of the proceeds; we certainly appreciate all who made this first annual event a fun time—even with the lousy weather.  One of our volunteers represented Habitat with his excellent chili.  Thank you, Mark.

 

In addition, the management at the new Richmond Center has dedicated the fountain there to Habitat.

 

I hope you can understand why I am so excited about the work going on and the support we are getting.  Thank you!

 

In partnership,

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison & Clark Counties

Keeping in Touch

Friends,

 

Yesterday, Saturday, September 19, was one of those special moments in Habitat.  We dedicated the home of Ronda Simmons and her two sons, in Winchester.  The house was full of chatter, laughter and hugs (and a few tears).   We were all blessed an extra measure by the wonderful voice of Perry Wilson, singing "Bless This House."  Perry has apparently participated in Winchester house dedications in the past and we look forward to hearing her wonderful voice again.

 

Ty and Patrick Carter continued their special ministry by donating a bookcase and books to Ronda's two sons.  Thanks to the Carter family again!

 

In Berea, we are preparing for the "wall raising" this coming week, for the Montgomery family.  Then very soon after, we will be doing another "wall raising" for their near-by neighbors, the Roberts family.  Both homes are using a technique new to us, using SIP (Structural Insulated Panels) panels, which provide excellent insulation for the benefit of the family's future energy costs. 

 

My thanks to the construction team, the electrical team, and our volunteers for the extra effort put into preparing for this new technique!

 

In partnership,

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties

 

 

Women Build

The Women Build team has been busy planning for a week of fun, food, fellowship and, of course, building a house or two.

 

Two homes are being built at Hope Estates for the Montgomery and Roberts families.

Adam and Tammi Roberts are very excited about the opportunity to own their own home. As are Kevin and Tiphani Montgomery and their son Hugo. Tiphani learned some building skills at the Women Build Clinics in Richmond.

 

Lowes of Winchester and Richmond sponsored Women Build clinics where women worked together to learn about building on a small scale. Each store donated materials for a shed which was completed by volunteers learning building skills.

 

A registration form is available on the Women Build page. If you preregister you get a free t-shirt.

 

We hope you can join us for a day or two or more as we build hope for these new members of the Habitat family.

Keeping in Touch

Habitat Friends,

 

I'll try to keep this short but lots has been happening with our Habitat affiliate since July.

 

The house in Winchester is coming along well, with the help of two teams who visited from out of town and a lot of hard-working local volunteers.  Ronda Simmons and her two sons should be moving in before the end of September.

 

And then, to keep things moving, we will soon be laying the foundations for the next two homes.  Both will be in Hope Estates, just outside Berea, and we plan to be working hard, starting after Labor Day and on through the fall.  The two houses are almost next door neighbors, so we can use plenty of hands to get the work done.  Both homes will be using some new energy-efficient, sustainable building techniques which promise long-term benefits to our homeowners.  Our goal is to finish both by the end of November and be sure that the Montgomery and Roberts families have some wonderful holidays!

 

I also want to welcome our new personnel at the ReStore.  Our new manager is Ed Forester, and the chief cashier is Michael King.  Come visit soon -- there are new things in the store every week.  Stop and look at the beautiful plants we have for sale to brighten up your fall gardens.

 

In partnership,

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties

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Keeping in Touch

Habitat Friends,

 

As usual, lots of things are happening but I'll focus on just two for now.

 

1)  We are losing both Glenn Truett and Joe Davis at our ReStore.  Their own business has taken off well and they are leaving us to focus on this new endeavor--rehab, remodeling, maintenance.  Drop by the ReStore on Thursday, July 9 between 3:00 to 5:00 for a farewell send-off.

 

2)  We're ready to swing hammers again.  We have a new family in Winchester - Ronda Simmons and her two sons.  The lot has been cleared, the plans are in place and we are making noise in Winchester!  We can use your help.  Call the office for the times and location; we will especially need volunteers on Wednesdays and Saturdays.  (phone numbers:  (859) 625-9208, or from Winchester (859) 749-7878, or email to Layne Hawley:  habitatcountyaa@bellsouth.net  )

 

2.5)  The new personnel for the ReStore will be in place soon.  I look forward to introducing them to you very soon.  Joe and Glenn are working with us to make the transition smooth.

 

In partnership,

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison and Clark Counties

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Keeping in touch

Friends,

 

Though building home for families in need is indeed our main focus and mission, this note will underscore several other activities of the Affiliate.

 

ReStore - If you haven't visited the ReStore in a while, now is a good time.  We are literally full of wonderful donations.  Mentioning just a few:  beautiful desks and other equipment from the Bluegrass Depot, lots of nice furniture from our community friends, and our new line of special order kitchen cabinets!  The store hours are Tuesday through Friday, 10 to 6; Saturday, 10-5.

 

We closed on the Greer home on May 23 and will start our next build in Clark County after July 1 BUT the Construction Team is not idle.  Next week, Terry and Marty will be "retrofitting" a solar hot water heating system on the Robertson house in Hope Estates.  This is a part of our on-going partnership with Kentucky Solar Partnership.  Our team will also take time to investigate new house plans and building techniques.

 

We welcome Kevin and Tiphani Montgomery, along with their son Hugo, as a Habitat partner family.  We plan to start a home in Hope Estates in the fall for the Montgomery family.

 

Keeping in Touch

Helen Ward

President of the Board

Habitat for Humanity of Madison & Clark Counties

(859) 625-9208 or in Winchester (859) 749-7878

 

 

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Dedication planned for Friday, May 22

Friends,

 

One of the special moments in our Habitat life is when we dedicate a home, hand over the keys and share hugs and tears with our new homeowner family.

 

If you can, please join us at 5:00 p.m. on Friday, May 22, 2009, at 102 Lassiter, Richmond, for a dedication/celebration with the family of Jonathan and Andrea Greer.

 

Thank you,

Helen Ward, President

Habitat for Humanity of Madison & Clark Counties

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Keeping in touch

Friends,

 

Good things continue to happen at our Affiliate.  Jonathan and Andrea Greer and their 4 children will be moving into their new home on Lassiter Street by the end of May.  Again, thanks to the many special groups who helped with this construction.

 

Deanna Sullivan has signed her "Lease to Purchase" for the house on Orchard Street and will move in any day now.  Throughout this process with Deanna, I have been grateful that we have regularly been building homes with extra wide doors and halls, so the renovations to allow for Deanna's wheelchair have been fairly easy.  As usual, Habitat is a little "ahead of the curve." 

 

Deanna will be able to become a true homeowner (mortgage holder) when she completes her 350 hours of Sweat Equity.  She is well on her way, but if any of you wish to donate your hours to Deanna, send me an e-mail.

 

With mixed emotions, I also want to share with everyone that we have received a letter of resignation from Bill Stolte.  Bill gave us lots of warning and has been working hard during the past several months to get several folks trained to take over his work.  It will definitely take more than one person to carry on.  We truly appreciate Bill's 16 years of dedicated service to our Affiliate.  He's proof that one person can indeed make a difference.

 

And for those of you watching your calendar.  We are postponing the start of our Clark County build until July 1.  Very soon I should be able to tell you about that Partner Family.

 

Keeping in Touch,

Helen Ward

President of the Board

Habitat for Humanity of Madison & Clark Counties

(859) 625-9208 or in Winchester (859) 749-7878

 

 

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Just a Note - from your Habitat

Friends,

 

Things have been happening! . . . so it's time to bring you an update. 

 

The Greer house on Lassiter Street is moving along extremely well thanks to the excellent, hard work of three visiting groups:  from the University of Pennsylvania, from Souhegon High School in NH, and from Ohio State University.  All three groups have been wonderful.  The house is under roof, windows and doors are in, and most of the vinyl is done.  It's been exciting to watch!

 

We are doing some minor renovations at the house on Orchard Street to make it more livable for Deanna Sullivan.  Deanna should be moving in by May 1.

 

We are planning to start a new home in Winchester June 1.  We are extremely excited to get back into building in Clark County.  We'll keep you informed on the details on this.

 

We are having an Open House at the new Affiliate Office on Saturday, April 25 between 10:00 and 2:00.  Come see our new space, meet old friends and new, and share your Habitat stories.  We will have light refreshments and there will be a short dedication ceremony at noon.  The new office is at 1417 East Main.

 

Keeping in Touch,

Helen Ward

President of the Board

Habitat for Humanity of Madison & Clark Counties

(859) 625-9208 or in Winchester (859) 749 7878

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